A thief broke down into tears in court as she admitted stealing cash, bank cards and vouchers from relatives at her uncle's wake.

Michelle Roberts, 45, admitted four counts of theft and three counts of fraud at Basildon Crown Court, Essex, on Monday.

Robertsbegan crying and shaking in the dock as she admitted taking four bank cards, £300 in John Lewis vouchers, a cheque book and £80 in cash from 'vulnerable' family members at the wake in Shoebury, Essex.

The day after the wake on December
19, 2011, Roberts used the bank cards to order CDs and DVDs on Cdwow.com
and had the parcels delivered to her home address in Gravesend, Kent.

She
also ordered £270 worth of goods from Asda online, which included two
mobile phones and an iPod dock, which was discovered by police at her
Ascot Road home in Gravesend.

The
court heard that when Roberts was arrested she blamed the thefts on her
partner, who was found later to have nothing to do with the crime.

In a lengthy police interview after her arrest in April 2012 she also admitted to spending the John Lewis vouchers.

Tony Abelle, prosecuting, told the court that Roberts hadn’t seen some of her family for 25 years before attending the service.

He said: 'She was seen by a family member hunched over a handbag in the living room, rifling through it.